On March 8 The Signal published a column by Gary Horton entitled “Deciding to decisively end homelessness.”
It seems that Gary and I agree on this issue, and I’m sure that blows his mind as much as it does mine.
In his column he called Measure H a “boondoggle of epic proportions,” and I’m right there with him. He also states, “We’ve got to have the backbone to declare homelessness plainly unacceptable and even ‘illegal.’”
The problem, as I pointed out in my own column urging a “no” vote on Measure H, is that the measures that used to be in place to combat homelessness – and they were pretty effective – were deemed decades ago to be violations of the rights of homeless people to self-determination and autonomy.
The “declare it illegal” strategy, as effective as it was, was nullified. That ship has sailed.
I actually believe that was proper, because if one class of people can have their rights taken away based solely on their economic status, none of us is safe.
Gary speaks of “zoning to allow both government and private enterprise to build affordable, or even free, housing,’ and maybe there’s a partial answer there.
But that has to be done in a realistic manner, putting aside the pie-in-the-sky approach so many bleeding hearts want to impose by forcing “affordable” housing into existing or developing communities in which such housing isn’t a natural fit with the rest of that community.
Sticking Section Eight or other “affordable” housing units in the middle of a planned gated community, for example, isn’t going to work, on many levels, and it also unfairly penalizes property owners who will suffer loss of the value of their homes when such units are dropped in their midst like meteorites falling from the sky.
Yes, areas can be specifically zoned for such housing, but then we have to accept that we’re just creating more “projects,” like Nickerson Gardens in Los Angeles and other such disaster areas.
And that still doesn’t address the unfortunate fact that, unlike in the movies, you can build it and a lot of people still won’t come.
It doesn’t acknowledge the reality that some homeless choose to be so, or are unable to live in such units due to mental deficiency or substance abuse, and simply won’t avail themselves of such accommodations.
So it seems he and I agree on the nature of the problem, and the fact that Measure H is going to be less than useless in actually “solving” it, but differ on what can actually be done about it.
Gary said he’s going to make some proposals in an upcoming column, and I’m eager to see what he proposes.
Frankly, I don’t see an actual solution that’s practical and legal.
Brian Baker is a Saugus resident.
